THE MAIN EVENT: BASEBALL
#10 LA PINE (10-7) AT #2 PLEASANT HILL (13-3)
■ Game facts: Doubleheader on Friday, April 26 at 2 and 4:30 p.m.
■ Leading off: The Billies face off with La Pine this week in a series between two of the top three teams in the Mountain Valley Conference. Pleasant Hill is 8-1 in conference play, and La Pine is 9-3. The Billies already took a series against No. 5 Sisters, so a series win against La Pine this week would put senior Caden Richardson and the Billies in prime position to earn the MVC crown.
WEEKLY PREVIEWS
BASEBALL
#27 COTTAGE GROVE (7-12)
■ Leading off: Cottage Grove’s skid continues as the Lions have lost 12 straight after opening the season 7-0. Head coach Nathan Rheuban and the Lions have a chance to end the streak with a doubleheader at No. 11 North Bend on Friday.
#27 CRESWELL (4-12)
■ Leading off: The Bulldogs host Scio on Friday as the team takes a week off from conference play. Creswell reached five wins last season, so a victory this week would tie that mark for new coach Kevin Feist, who’s had solid play from junior Deacon Edwards recently.
#31 SPRINGFIELD (1-16)
■ Leading off: Springfield has perhaps its last, best chance to earn its second victory of the season this week. The Millers host Class 6A North Salem (0-17) in a non-league game on Wednesday, with senior Troy Lopez needed to help get Springfield’s offense flowing.
#2 THURSTON (12-3)
■ Leading off: After a brief league break, the Colts return to Midwestern League action with a series against Churchill. The top half of Thurston’s lineup continues to be formidable, led in part by two of the three seniors on the roster: CF Adam Elliott and 3B Eli Crist.
SOFTBALL
#11 COTTAGE GROVE (8-7)
■ Leading off: The Lions, in last place in the Sky-Em League, have an important doubleheader on Friday at No. 10 North Bend. Cottage Grove needs to start stacking some wins if the team wants to earn a playoff play-in spot, so a good showing from standout pitcher Emily Pacheco on Friday will be crucial.
#19 CRESWELL (9-8)
■ Leading off: Creswell takes a short break from Mountain Valley Conference play with a week of non-conference games, headlined by a game at Class 4A No. 16 Marist on Wednesday. Senior right-handed pitcher Hope Ukolov continues to lead the Bulldogs on both sides.
#9 PLEASANT HILL (9-3)
■ Leading off: The Billies attempt to keep pace with No. 6 Harrisburg in the MVC title race as they face off with La Pine in a series this week. Pitchers Bella Black and Karley Bloxham have helped lead Pleasant Hill this season as the Billies have allowed only 43 runs all season – 6th-best in Class 3A.
#20 THURSTON (8-6)
■ Leading off: After 11 days of rest, the Colts get back on schedule with a series against Churchill this week. Senior Bailey Tovey continues to be vital for Thurston’s offense as the Colts battle with No. 6 Eagle Point and No. 9 Crater in the Midwestern League title race.
WEEKLY RECAPS
BASEBALL
■ Cottage Grove fell to No. 4 Marist Catholic 7-0 before losing a non-league game to Siuslaw 7-6. Christian Spear continued his solid season in the Siuslaw loss, throwing 5 Ks and adding 1 hit and 2 runs. Anthony Eubanks had 2 hits and 2 RBI in the loss for the Lions.
■ Creswell was swept by No. 2 Pleasant Hill, with the closest game a 6-2 Game One defeat. Junior Deacon Edwards led the way with 2 hits and 1 run, and Tyler Pratt added 2 hits and 1 RBI.
■ Pleasant Hill moved to 8-1 in conference play with a series sweep over Creswell, winning the games 6-2, 18-4, and 17-1. Caden Richardson threw 10 Ks and had 2 hits, 2 runs, and 1 RBI in Game One. In Game Two, junior Kaden Fisher totaled 4 hits, 2 runs, and 2 RBI, and Jon Fitzpatrick led the Billies in Game Three by contributing 3 hits, 1 run, and 4 RBI.
■ Thurston had a week off from Midwestern League play and faced Class 6A West Salem in its final non-league game of the season. The Colts beat West Salem 17-4 behind Grady Saunders’ 2 hits, 3 runs, and 4 RBI, as well as Eli Crist’s 4 hits, 2 runs, and 2 RBI.
SOFTBALL
■ Cottage Grove fell to Marist Catholic 10-0 in its sole game last week. P Emily Pacheco had 3 Ks, while Jayda Bruner and Addison Hitt each had a hit for the Lions.
■ Creswell had a dramatic series against rival No. 9 Pleasant Hill, losing Game One 10-9 on a walk-off and Game Two 16-0 before bouncing back to win Game Three 9-8. Sophomore Regan Gwaltney had 2 hits, 2 runs, and 2 RBI to lead the way in Game One. In Game Three, Hope Ukolov guided the Bulldogs to victory with 5 Ks, 1 hit, 2 runs, and 3 RBI – including a 3-run home run in the 1st inning.
■ Pleasant Hill took down Creswell in a series, winning two of the three games. The Billies took Game One 10-9 in extra innings as freshman Sari Strinz hit an RBI-triple in the bottom of the 9th inning to claim the walk-off win. In Pleasant Hill’s 16-0 Game Two victory, Karley Bloxham had 2 hits, 2 runs, and 2 RBI, and Bella Black totaled 5 Ks in only 3 innings on the mound.
■ Springfield won a series against North Eugene last week, the team’s first series win since the 2017 season. The Millers won Game One 7-0 behind 8 Ks from freshman Lillian Wobbe, as well as 3 hits, 2 runs, and 1 RBI from Emma Patrick-Busby. In the 7-6 Game Two victory, Brooke Arendt hit an RBI in the bottom of the 7th inning to give Springfield the walk-off victory.
TRACK & FIELD RECAPS
■ Cottage Grove raced at the Meet of Champions at Sweet Home, with the boys team coming in first. Juniors Carter Bengtson (1500m) and Hayes Valley (110m hurdles) each took victories for the boys side, and sophomore Ella Cardwell finished third in the girls 3000m race.
■ Creswell and Pleasant Hill competed in a Special District 4 meet at Elmira. The Billies grabbed 2nd on each side behind wins from Gage Roper (boys 1500m) and Ellie Epperson (girls 1500m). For Creswell, the girls came in 3rd thanks to Jordyn Lee’s 200m win, while the boys finished 6th as Lance Risdal won the javelin toss.
■ Springfield hosted Sheldon and Churchill in a meet last week. Conner Dye won the 200m dash for the boys, and freshman Sailor Hall won the shot put and discus for the girls.
■ Thurston traveled to the John Oliver Invitational at Central HS last week, with the boys and girls each finishing 3rd as a team. Bailey Tovey grabbed wins in the shot put and javelin, and Brooklyn Anderson won the 100m dash for the girls. On the boys side, Carson Buergey finished second in the 1500m and 3000m races.
CONFERENCE CALL
Weekly notes from around our area teams’ conferences:
Tyner leading contending Spartans; Buendia dominant for JC
■ The OSAA released midseason baseball and softball statistical leaders last week, with multiple area athletes showing up on the lists. On the baseball side, senior Peyton Tyner is leading No. 4 Marist Catholic with a batting average of .542 (4th in the state), 20 RBI (t-9th in the state), and 16 stolen bases (t-11th in the state). Meanwhile, Harrisburg senior Kaiden Roberts leads the state with 32 RBI.
■ On the softball side of things, junior Lily Buendia is leading No. 14 Junction City with absurd numbers: .677 batting average (4th in the state), 9 home runs (3rd in the state), 53 RBI (best in the state), and 10 stolen bases (t-33rd in state).
RESULTS/SCHEDULES
RESULTS
BASEBALL
Tuesday, April 16
■ Marist 7, Cottage Grove 0
■ Pleasant Hill 6, Creswell 2
■ North Eugene 20, Springfield 0
Thursday, April 18
■ Siuslaw 7, Cottage Grove 6
■ Thurston 17, West Salem 4
Friday, April 19
■ Pleasant Hill 18, Creswell 4
■ Pleasant Hill 17, Creswell 1
Saturday, April 20
■ North Eugene 15, Springfield 2
■ North Eugene 13, Springfield 6
SOFTBALL
Tuesday, April 16
■ Marist 10, Cottage Grove 0
■ Pleasant Hill 10, Creswell 9
■ Springfield 7, North Eugene 0
Friday, April 19
■ Pleasant Hill 16, Creswell 0
■ Creswell 9, Pleasant Hill 8
Saturday, April 20
■ Springfield 7, North Eugene 6
■ North Eugene 9, Springfield 5
Monday, April 22
■ Dayton 11, Creswell 1
SCHEDULES
BASEBALL
Friday, April 26
■ La Pine at Pleasant Hill,
2 and 4:30 p.m.
■ Cottage Grove at North Bend,
3 and 5 p.m.
■ Scio at Creswell, 4:30 p.m.
Saturday, April 27
■ Thurston at Churchill,
noon and 2 p.m.
Tuesday, April 30
■ La Pine at Creswell, 4:30 p.m.
■ Elmira at Pleasant Hill, 4:30 p.m.
■ Cottage Grove at Junction City, 5 p.m.
■ Ashland at Springfield, 5 p.m.
■ Thurston at Eagle Point, 5 p.m.
SOFTBALL
Friday, April 26
■ La Pine at Pleasant Hill, 2 and 4:30 p.m.
■ Cottage Grove at North Bend, 3 and 5 p.m.
Saturday, April 27
■ Pleasant Hill at Cascade, 9:30 a.m.
■ Pleasant Hill vs. Yamhill-Carlton (at Cascade HS), 11 a.m.
■ Thurston at Churchill, 1 and 3 p.m.
Tuesday, April 30
■ La Pine at Creswell, 4:30 p.m.
■ Elmira at Pleasant Hill, 4:30 p.m.
■ CGHS at Junction City, 5 p.m.
■ Ashland at Springfield, 5 p.m.
■ Thurston at Eagle Point, 5 p.m.
TRACK & FIELD
Friday, April 26
■ Springfield at Dean Nice Invitational (Gresham HS), 1:30 p.m.
■ Pleasant Hill at Nike/Jesuit Twilight Relays (Jesuit HS), 2 p.m.
■ Cottage Grove at Central Coast Invitational (Siuslaw HS), 4 p.m.
Saturday, April 27
■ Creswell at Junction City Invitational (JCHS), 10 a.m.
■ Pleasant Hill at Amity Invitational (Amity HS), 10 a.m.
■ Thurston at Grants Pass Rotary Invitational, 10 a.m.
Wednesday, May 1
■ Pleasant Hill at Willamette HS, 3:30 p.m.
Thursday, May 2
■ Creswell at Harrisburg Invitational (Harrisburg HS), 4 p.m.
